Noticias

Crew on disabled boat wait overnight to fire flare

Two people in a broken-down motorboat in Northern Ireland waited overnight to fire a flare to attract attention.

One day late in July, Bangor RNLI was requested by HM Coastguard to help a boat off Carrickfergus in Belfast Lough, following the firing of a red distress flare.

Two men on board had left Carrickfergus in calm conditions, but their main engine failed, followed by the failure of the auxiliary outboard.

After several hours trying to fix the problem, and with no working mobile phone or radio, they decided to wait until morning to fire the flare to attract attention.

After locating the stricken vessel, the RNLI crew quickly rigged up a line from the Bangor Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat, Jessie Hillyard, and towed it to Carrickfergus marina. At the marina, they tied the motorboat alongside for better manoeuvrability.

Bangor RNLI helm Gareth Whan says the incidents highlights the importance of having safety equipment in case of emergency. “The crew and I are happy to have brought these men to safety, after what must have been a fairly miserable night for them on board a boat with no power in Belfast Lough.

“Incidents like this highlight the importance of ensuring your engines are in good working order, and the need to have a reliable way of calling for help if things go wrong. Luckily for them, the weather stayed good overnight, and the flare was spotted this morning.”

A video showing the rescue is available from the RNLI, from which the main image is taken.